Electronic apparatus is oftentimes constructed by assembling circuit boards into backplanes that are formed to electrically interconnect circuitry of circuit boards to form the electronic apparatus. In a typical application, electronic apparatus frames on which the backplanes are mounted are shipped to a customer location along with the circuit boards which are packaged in separate and independent cartons. At a customer location, the electronic apparatus is assembled by removing each circuit board from its carton and installing the circuit board by plugging it into the backplane to complete assembly of the electronic apparatus.
Subsquently, the electronic apparatus may be updated or new features may be added by ordering additional and new circuit boards. Each additional or new circuit board is shipped in a carton to the customer location. Upon receiving the circuit board, the customer removes it from the carton and plugs it into the frame backplane to update the electronic apparatus. The carton may be used a number of times duing its lifetime to return a circuit board to a repair facility, to store the circuit board until required for use or to ship circuit boards to various customer locations.
A typical circuit board shipping carton generally has a pair of side members separated by top and bottom members and is formed to surround a circuit board. The carton has a closed end with an opposite open end for receiving the circuit board. A segment located across the top and extending down one side member of the carton open end has two sections consisting of a top and side section having identical widths. After the circuit board is inserted into the carton, the top section is formed downward into a position parallel to the other side member with the side section positioned across the open end to retain the circuit board within the carton. A closed end is formed opposite the open end with one side member formed with two panels wherein one panel is formed at right angles with respect to both side members with the other panel inserted into the carton such that a pair of tabs may each be positioned through slots located in the top and bottom members so that the other panel is positioned parallel and adjacent one side member.
A problem arises in that a circuit board inserted into the carton is free to move within the carton thereby resulting in damage when the circuit board is shipped between locations. Another problem arises in that the act of forcing the top and side segment downward to lock the circuit board within the carton deforms and buckles the other side member thereby rendering the carton useless after several uses. Accordingly, a need exists for a carton which prevents movement of a circuit board within the carton while shipping the circuit board between locations and which carton may be used a large number of times to ship the circuit board between locations.